Successful Advertisements: Budweiser And Bud Light

Stephanie Delgado
English 60
Professor Weil
October 14, 2016
Attention Seeking Advertisements Whether we have realized it or not, advertisements are part of our daily lives. We see them through television, public buses, newspapers, billboards, internet and magazines. Companies use many different types of techniques to reach their customers into buying their products that are being promoted and at some point achieve their goal and it becomes successful. In the recent advertisements of Budweiser and Bud Light, dogs were being the central character, which was used to not only essentially remind everyone of their own pets, but also remind people about their actions, behavior, and safety. In the beginning of the Budweiser advertisement, the first
thing that is being shown is a Labrador puppy who is in his owner’s arms. The mood of the music is euphoric at first as each scenario changes every 2 seconds screening the growth of the dog. They both play together at the park, go to road trips and hang out with the owner’s friends at a lake, which proves that the man and the dog most likely have a great bond with each other.
It then changes to mournful music as soon as the owner walks out of the door from his house following few of his friends who are carrying boxes of beers. The Labrador is then shown that he is patiently waiting for him to get home. A car passes by, thinking that it’s him, but then realizes that it’s not. As soon as the next day came, the man finally returns to his house and finds his dog waiting at the door, explaining to it that he was at Dave’s house because he didn’t want to drive home the night before. The advertisement then ends with imploring the audience, which is men, discouraging drunk driving by having a
message quoted as,” Make a plan to make it home.” In this commercial, the character is targeting young men who are on their late twenties, or in other words, targets those who are able to legally drink, which one has to be 21 years old. Budweiser shows that it is important to be responsible when one is owning a pet, because if not, then it is considered being selfish knowing that the animals need consistent care and attention, as well in other particular aspects of our lives. By this, the audience would be able to reflect on their behaviors towards their decisions and realize that there should be improvements to be safe because no one ever knows what might happen at the end of the day. The Bud Light advertisement starts out with a man who is holding a bottle of beer while he is petting his new rescue dog, named Weego, as his friends are walking into the backyard of his house for a party. When one of his friends calls the dog over by saying,” Here Weego!”, it rushes over the kitchen, opens the refrigerator, fetches a Bud Light, and then gives it to the owner’s friend. Other people begin calling him over and shows that he gets a beer for everyone, whether it was intentionally or not. At the end of the commercial, the dog begins to push a cooler that says,” Help rescue dogs.” Right at the bottom of that, there is a Facebook link that leads to a page to donate money for a rescue dog foundation. This advertisement not only benefitted the company, but also other foundations nationwide. The way it drew everyone into the commercial were the uses of cleverness, adorableness, and its humor. Weego, the dog, symbolizes comfort, satisfaction, friendliness, and emotions that the company would want everyone to feel when they first see Bud Light pop up and encourage people to think they support great causes. Just like the Budweiser advertisement, Bud Light is also targeting the young people who seem to be enjoying their time in the ad. It gives them the sense that they should do the same exact thing in order to fit in with everyone else. Since the company is being direct towards the men, it implies a meaning of masculinity, compelling a stereotype that they can drink beer and be slothful, so therefore a dog solves the problem by bringing a beer to them. In comparison between both advertisements, Budweiser was the most convincing and effective than the Bud Light commercial.
The reason is because it achieves of giving all the viewers the idea that drunk driving is being considered a huge issue, not just in the United States, but in other countries as well. Unlike the Bud Light commercial, it doesn’t show enough effectiveness with the people in it because everyone is enjoying their beer and they only pay attention to the dog when it’s bringing them their drink. There is not enough understanding or feelings involved like the Budweiser advertisement. In the beginning of the commercial, once the viewer see’s the Labrador puppy, there is cuteness flowing around the scenario, and as it’s growing, we can feel the connection that the dog and the owner have with each other, but with the other ad, nothing like that is going
on. Although the advertisements give young people reasons to drink safely, I believe that it’s still not enough to make a complete change for anyone. For example, even if beer is shown on both commercials, it can give the audience the idea that it can be necessary for those who want an exciting life, which contradicts the encouragement to actually drink responsibly. Beer is an addictive substance that has nothing to do with improving anyone’s well-being and today, companies are trying their best to prevent any consequences when it comes to drinking, but it’s still continuing to create a dangerous framework for society.